Several running groups took part in what some called a ``Patriot Run'' to call attention to the shutdown.

"How can you close the outside?'' asked runner George Fenzil, 46, of Philadelphia.

Protestors at Valley Forge National Park

Protestors will be out at Valley Forge National Park this Sunday to protest the government shutdown's impact on the local historical site. (Published Friday, Oct 11, 2013)

They ran on state and local roads that cut through the national park but remain open and are just a few feet from paved walking paths in the park.

"It's less safe, people running out on the road, with no shoulder, with traffic coming at 40 miles per hour. We're literally running three feet from the trail that they say we can't be running on,'' said Bell, 56, of Chadds Ford, who plans to fight his Oct. 6 ticket in federal court.

The National Park Service says at least 20 people have been issued tickets at Valley Forge, and more at parks across the country. A spokesman has said that safety is a concern, given widespread staff furloughs. The park service has said that a hiker in Acadia National Park was seriously injured after violating a closure notice.

But Bell doesn't believe safety is an issue at Valley Forge, which has wide paths and gently rolling hills.

"We've run in here for years, without ever seeing a park ranger. Anytime there's been an injury with a runner, the park ranger has never been the one to respond,'' he said.

Some national parks are reopening with the use of state or other funds. A park service spokesman did not immediately return an email message Sunday.

Lawyer Jeremy Ibrahim, who is representing Bell in contesting the ticket, helped organize the protest. The runners parked offsite and asked the park superintendent if they could run on the trails, Ibrahim said. They were told they would not be cited for running, but only for parking, he said. Nonetheless, they took to the roads to make their point about the shutdown.

"All politics aside, I think that they need to get their act together,'' Fencil said. "This is not a good thing for our country.''

In addition to the runners, several other groups, including the Citizens for Liberty and local tea party organizations held a rally at the park in protest of both the closure as well as the government shutdown. The group marched from the Washington Memorial Chapel to the barricade at the park's visitor's center.

The protesters demanded that congress reopen the 3500 acre park.

"We paid for them with our taxes," said Rob Boysen, a Vietnam Veteran and member of the Bucks County Tea party. "We've paid for them by being Americans."

"It's not Bush's or Obama's fault," said Jackie Piotrowski of the Citizens for Liberty. "It's our fault because we allowed the bureaucrat's in Washington to start controlling our lives."